Sound-regulator for phonographs.



A. H. RYDER.

SOUND REGULATOR FOR PHONUGRAPHS. `APPLIoAJrIoN FILED sEPT.1.1ao5.

PATENTED JAN. l, 1907.

A T T0305 7S r nr ARTHUR H. RYDER, OF NEV'T YORK, NNY?"- SOUND-REGULATORFOR PHONGRAPHS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 1, 1907.

Application filed September l. 1905. Seria] No. 276,740.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR H. RYDER, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Brooklyn, city of New York, county of Kings,and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Sound-Regulators for Phonographs and other Talking-Aflachines, ofwhich the following is a specification, such as will lenable thoseskilled in the art to which my invention relates to make and use thesame.

The object of this invention is to provide improved means for connectingthe horn of a talking-machine or other machine of the class specified tothe machine proper, whereby the metallic vibrations or rasping metallicsounds usually produced by machines of this class are in a measure done'away with and a more regular and musical tone or voice-tone produced, afurther object being to provide an improvement of the class specifiedfor use in connection withthe delivery-horns of talking-machines andsimilar instruments, whereby the sound-waves are prevented fromtravcling around the horn inspiral curves and whereby/theharsh gratingor similar metallic soundsare to a considerable extent obviated `andwhereby the operator may at will regulate the volume of'sound producedby the horn, a still further object being to provide a horn-coupling`for instruments of the class specied containing a supplementalvibratory device; and with these and other objects in view the inventionconsists in an attachment for instruments of the class specifiedconstructed as hereinafter described andY claimed.

The invention i= fully disclosed in the following speciicatii u, ofwhich the accompanying drawings form a part, in which the separate partsof my improvement are designated by suitable reference characters' ineach of the views, and in which- Figure l is a side view of my improvedhorn attachment for instruments of the class specified and showing themethod of connecting it with the machine and with the horn; Fig. 2, asectional view ofthe attachmenton the line 2 2 of Fig. l; Fig. 3, a viewsimilar to Fig. 2, but showing the attachment proper on an enlargedscale 3 Fig. 4, asection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5, an end viewof a supplemental vibratory device which l employ; Fig. 6, a reversedside view of the vibratory device shown in Fig. 5 3 Fig. 7, a section onthe line 7 7 of Fig. 1 and on the line 7 7 of Fig. 3 and also a similarsection through Fig. 2 Fig. 8, a side view of a valve -plate which Iemploy, and Fig. 9 a transverse section thereof.

In the drawings forming part of this specification l have shown at c thereproducer of a talking-machine or other sound or musical reproducingmachine and at a2 the deliveryhorn thereof.l The reproducer a isprovided with the usual tube a3, with which in practice my improvedhorn-attaching device b is connected. The horn-attaching device b in theform of construction shown comprises a tube made of two parts b2 and b3,and the part b3 in the form of construction shown is provided with anenlarged inner end member b4, into which the part b2 is screwed, andmounted on the enlarged end member b4 of the part b3 is a collar or bandc, said collar or band being rotatable and being placed between annularbeads b5 and b, formed, respectively, on the g tube members b3 and b2.

The enlarged part b4 of the tube member b3 is provided approximatelycentrally thereof with a transverse partition d, having oblong ports orpassages d2 arranged concentrically Iof the center thereof, and placedon the inner face xof said partition is a rotatable valveplate c,provided with a central stud e2, which passes outwardly through thepartition d and through a central hub d? formed thereon, and the head ofwhich is enlarged, as shown at e3, to prevent its movementlongitudinally of the attachment, and said valveplate is provided with afiange or rimfc4, and passing through the collar or band c and throughthe transverse oblong slot c2 in the end member b4 of the tube member b3is a screw f, which passes into and is secured in the flange or rim e4ofthe valve-plate e, and by means of which said valve-plate may beturned, and the said valve-plate is provided with concentrically-arranged oblong slots forming ports or openings c5, which are adaptedto register with the corresponding ports or openings d2 in the partitiond.

Secured to the collar or band c by the screw f is a pointer g, whichranges longitudinally of the tube member b2 and is adapted to operateinconnection with a transverse scale g2, formed on said tube member, andremovably placed in the tube member b2 is a supplemental vibratorydevice comprising a collar h, said collar being provided at its outerend with inwardly-directed proj ecticns h2. Within the collar h of thesupplemental ICO IIO

i volume of vibratory sound passing through ma. l '45- vibratory deviceis placed a rigid disk i, preferably composed of fiber and provided withsmall ports or passages i?, which in the form of construction shown arearranged concen- 5 trically around the center thereof, and placed on theside of the diski adjacent to the valveplate e is a iiexible diaphragmj, also referably composed of fiber and separate from the disk c by anannular band or gasket jz, xo and the diaphragm j is held in the diahragmcollar h by an open spring-ring lc, etween which and said diaphragm1s placed an annular gasket 752.

As thus constructed it will be seen that the the partition d may beregulated at all times by turning the valve-plate e, which is done byturning the collar or band c, and the pointer g operating in connectionwith the 2o scale gv2 will tell to what extent the ports or passages d2in the partition d are opened and -closed.

In the operation of this device the soundwaves from the re roducer aiirst impinge on 2 5 the perforated dis i of the vibratory device Withinthe tubular member b2, which, being constructed of non-metallicsubstance, insulates all grating, harsh, or indistinct sounds foreign tothe record, and the said sound- 3o waves pass through said disk andstrike against the sensitive diaphragm j, which sets up a new series ofsound-Waves which are deprived of their tendency toward a spiralmovement and which may be regulated in 3 5 volumes at the will of theoperator by turning the collar or band c. The result of this is toproduce a more perfect tone, voice, or musical sound which is to anextent free from the metallic and harsh qualities usually pro- 4o ducedby instruments of this class.

As thus constructed it will be seen that my improvement involves aregulator placed between the delivery-horn and the reproducer andcomprising in its construction a vi- 4 5 bratory diaphragm, a stationarysound-reguf lating diaphragm, and a supplemental-volume or sound-volumeregulating device involving a rotatable member located in the axis ofthe .sound-Waves passing through the reproducer, and while I refer theconstruction shown and describe( it will be apparent that changestherein and modifications thereof may be made Without departing from thespirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The herein-described means for connecting the horn ofA a reproducinginstrument with said instrument, comprising a tubular coupling having afixed transverselyarranged apertured plate therein and an aperturedvalve-plate cooperating with said fixed plate, and-external devicesmovable independently of the coupling whereby said valve-plate may berotated and the extent of said rotation indicated, said coupling beingalso provided in the end thereof adjacent to the instrument with asupplemental vibratory device.

2. The herein-,described means for connecting the horn of a reproducinginstrumen with said instrument, comprising a tubulaiy coilpling having aiixed transverselyarra ged apertured plate therein and an aperturedvalve-plate cooperating with said fixed plate, and external devicesmovable inde er dently of the coupling whereby said va ve plate may berotated and the extent of said otation indicated, said coupling beingalso r rovided in the end thereof adjacent to the instrument with asupplemental vibratory device, consisting of'a transversely-arrangedperforated disk and a vibratory diaphragm adjacent thereto.

, ARTHUR H. RYDER.

Witnesses:

M. M. LIEBY, W. D. WARD.

